Scarlet Smiles
by MyGoldenGlow
Summary: Lisbon is buried alive, but is it Red John, or someone even more sinister?
1. Prologue

**Spoilers: None**

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

**Summary: **He was patient. He found the perfect family. He lured them to California. He killed the pretty blue eyed blond girl first. He killed the pretty green eyed brunette woman second. He wrote a note and he waited for the message to get across. He left his smile on the wall and let them wallow in fear and uncertainty, as he waited for the perfect moment to strike. He was patient. He was famous for it.

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Agent Theresa Lisbon had never been this scared. Frightened – yes. She fought with criminals on a day to day basis, so fear was a natural part of her everyday. As a child, she used to be so scared of the dark that she would curl up in a ball and sob until someone turned the lights on. After her mother died, she could never hear sirens without being tempted to cover her ears and scream. But this was something very different.

The walls pressed against her at all sides. The air was limited, and she knew for a fact that it would run out soon. Much sooner than anyone could ever find her. Because it wasn't a room she was lying in. The walls around her were the sides of a homemade coffin, sans silk lining. She had been made to watch as the lid closed. She had heard every shovelful of dirt as it hit, hiding her from view permanently. Now she was trapped with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. Not even a tape recorder so that she could record a message for the team who would never forgive themselves.

Her arm throbbed from being twisted around. The bandage on it was dirty, and if she didn't change it soon the wound would get infected. The cuffs around her wrists were tight, and her hands pressed uncomfortably into her back as she lay still – but there was no room for any movement. The sides of the box scraped her elbows, curved around her hips, and touched her heels. A custom built grave.

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**I won't be able to update this any time soon, since I'll be away and without internet for the next three weeks, but just remember that I will update. I promise. **

**Review!  
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	2. Chapter 1

**Wow - this is the first time I've gotten more 'Story Alerts' than reviews. Crazy :)  
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**Thanks for waiting, and I hope you enjoy. **

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THREE DAYS EARLIER**

"We have a new case," Lisbon announced, interrupting Jane's concentration, and, subsequently, causing him to drop the three ceramic mugs he had balanced on his arm. They shattered on the floor, making Van Pelt jump. Rigsby held out his hand, but Jane pouted.

"She startled me – it doesn't count!"

"There weren't any rules about interference. Hand it over."

"Jane, give him the money and let's go." Lisbon ordered, quickly catching on to what the argument was about. "Maybe next time you'll remember to include rules. When we get back you have to clean this up," she nodded at the mess before leaving the office.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

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**PRESENT**

She shifted uncomfortably, smacking her limbs against the hard wood and only causing more pain. Occasionally she opened her eyes, but mostly she kept them closed – a misguided belief that maybe she was imagining her surroundings.

Her air supply seemed to be holding out, but for how long was anybody's guess. She struggled to keep her breathing slow and calm; anything to give her team a chance to find her.

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**THREE DAYS EARLIER**

When she entered the hotel room, Lisbon froze. It took her a full minute to make her body turn around and shove Patrick Jane backwards before he could catch sight of what was in there. Say what you wanted about their fantastic case closing history, there was no way she was letting her team – and, more importantly, Jane – work this one.

"No," she said simply, waving them all away, "We aren't taking it. Go back in the car and wait. I'll handle the rest, just get out."

The three agents paused, eyeing her. She stared back, unfazed. Slowly, they turned around and began to move back towards the black car that was parked just outside the building. They weren't speaking, but she knew that it was only a matter of time until the looks started shooting between them. Well, that was fine – she could handle that, as long as they walked out.

"Come on Jane. Let's go."

"Aww, Lisbon. We just flew all the way here – and it was no short ride – just to fly back?"

"Yes. We aren't handling this one. Let's just go."

"You aren't telling me something," he accused, pointing his finger at her and frowning in mock concentration. "What is it?"

"That I think you're a pain in the ass – now let's go."

"Can't I at least _look_ at the crime scene before we leave? Since we've already come this far?" She began to respond negatively, but he cut her off, "Pretty please? Come on, I've been good all week!"

"Jane – It's Monday."

"A new record!"

He slipped past her and made for the door. She reached out to grab him and pull him back, but he was moving too fast. She whirled round and sped up, almost slamming into his thin frame as it froze in the doorway.

"Jane – let's just go, ok?" Her voice was soft, her touch on his shoulder gentle, but his attention was taken up by something else.

There, resting on the bleach white paint, was a grinning red smiley face. A small pink bed had been placed on the adjacent wall, and a small head full of blond curls was visible, as well as plenty of blood, and a chest that was no longer rising and falling with steady breaths.

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	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all of the reviews! Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing (if I did, season 2 would start right now)  
**

**Brief Recap: Lisbon is buried alive somewhere, and three days before that, the team came across what they believe to be a Red John case (I'm not admitting to anything!), where Jane found a little blond girl murdered in her bed.  
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PRESENT**

As a teenager, watching cop shows on TV, she had decided that if she was ever locked up all by herself, she would sing to pass the time. It would prevent her from totally losing her mind, or thinking negative thoughts, and, as an added benefit, would probably drive her captor crazy, since she was as good at carrying a tune as Patrick Jane was at following rules.

Now, she was too worried about preserving air to start singing, and there was no captor anywhere near to bother with her nails-on-the-chalkboard voice. Still, anything was better than thinking of her impending death and imagining that the walls were closing in on her (she had never been claustrophobic, but it was amazing how quickly that changed once she was actually in a tight space). She begged her mind to dredge up lyrics of some song or another, but the only thing she could think of was the alphabet. _ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me,_ she thought desperately, pushing back tears. _ABCDEFGHIJKLM…_

**THREE DAYS EARLIER**

The silence seemed to stretch on indefinitely. Finally he spoke, his voice husky, as if it hadn't been used in months instead of just a few minutes. "Where's her mother?"

She kept her voice soft, afraid that if she spoke too loud it would break him. "In the bathroom."

He tore his eyes from the limp frame of the little girl and led the way into the bathroom, where a woman was resting. She was fully clothed, except for her feet. Both socks and shoes had been removed, to reveal bright red nails, painted in blood. The tiniest whimper came out of Lisbon's mouth, but Jane barely heard it. While the child reminded him of his own daughter – the curls and blond hair matched perfectly – the woman reminded him of someone else entirely.

Her hair was dark brunette, curled, and cut short. Judging by the slightly strange angles, her hair had once been longer, which meant that Red John had cut it himself, for a reason. The young mother's eyes were wide open, staring at Jane blankly – a verdant green.

"Jane?"

He turned and saw Lisbon, holding a piece of paper shakily. His apprehension grew. Since when did Lisbon get shaky?

"I found it on the back of the door."

_Dear Mr. Jane, _

_Does it bring back memories? You don't know how hard it was to find them. You're lucky that I am very patient. I thought the eyes were a nice touch. You don't need me to tell you, but I'll say it anyway – one from your past, one from your present. I look forward to finally meeting her. _

"No! No, I won't let him. He can't – not you too."

"Jane," she began. The note fell to the floor and he wrapped his arms around her, as if holding her close would somehow protect her from the man who had eluded the police for years.

"He can't have you. He can't. I can't lose someone else. I'll die first."

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	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all of the reviews/story alerts! This was finished a couple days ago, but then I couldn't post anything :( Thanks for the patience!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Mentalist, the new season would have started yesterday (has anyone seen the promo for season 2? I heard it was out, but I can't find it _anywhere_.)**

**Recap: Red John killed a child and a woman (who resembles Lisbon), and left a threatening note at the crime scene.  
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The car ride to the hotel had been silent. Lisbon had been tempted to give Jane the keys just to please him, but she was pretty sure he would start driving and not stop until they had reached the next state – and then only to refill the tank and keep going. The others were too shaken up from hearing the news to drive, and although she knew that after they had processed the information they'd be fine, she didn't want to wait around. So instead, she shoved her panicked thoughts aside and focused on the basically empty – _thank god_ – road.

Jane had insisted on sitting up front, and spent most of the ride staring at her, as if she would disappear if he looked away. The only thought running through his head was a modified memory of the night when his world had been ripped apart. The clothes, the outfit, the talk show, the pink tricycle. And when he got to the door, the note was the same. But instead of his wife and daughter behind the door, there was a certain brunette agent, torn to shreds, with her nails painted crimson. It was enough to put him off sleep for a year.

"Blink, Jane," she ordered, glancing at him for a moment. Startled, he obeyed, and then frowned.

"This isn't funny, Lisbon."_ One point for getting him to talk,_ she thought proudly.

"Neither is having dry eyes," she replied, most of her energy diverted from focus on the road to keeping her mouth from twitching. "If you don't blink you could go blind." That was a lie, and she knew it, but it was the sort of thing a mother would say. The threats that had worked on her brothers might work on Jane, seeing as how he was an overgrown three-year-old most days.

He pursed his lips, "Did you even attend basic first-aid, Lisbon? Everyone knows you don't go blind from not blinking."

"Could too," Rigsby piped up. He was willing to start an argument with Jane, something he usually left for Lisbon to do (seeing as how she was the only one with a chance at winning), just to take his mind off the thought that a crazed serial killer had set sights on his boss.

"Do tell," Jane turned around to look at him, and Lisbon added another point to the tally. A smile spread over his face when Rigsby's face remained frozen.

"If you stared at the sun without blinking," Van Pelt jumped to Rigsby's rescue, "Or, uhm, a solar eclipse. Without glasses," she added as Jane's mouth opened.

"Okay," he conceded, reminding the team that he was still very much concerned about Red John – under ordinary circumstances, Jane never gave an inch. "But, I wasn't doing that." He refused to back down entirely, even if he wasn't his usual self.

"But I didn't say _you _were going to go blind. I said people in general."

"Nuh-uh," he protested, grinning, "You said 'If you don't blink you could go blind.' That sounds like _you_ to me, doesn't it Cho?"

"I meant 'you' as in people in general, not 'you' as in you."

"But you didn't say that, did you?" his smile was even bigger. "Ah! Another 'you', properly used to refer to _you_."

"Pronouns give me headaches." Rigsby announced, leaning back into his seat.

"I win." Jane told him.

_Three points for making him smile; four for getting him energized enough to care about winning an argument about pronouns._**I** _win. _

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_**Review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own a few candy wrappers...  
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PRESENT**

_ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBandA_. Sick of reciting the alphabet, Lisbon had altered to reciting it backwards. In the beginning, it forced her mind to stay focused to make sure she was saying it right, but now she knew it by heart. Since it normally took her at least twenty minutes to learn something so well, she knew that her time was running out. At the very least she had been in here for a half hour.

_How much air do I have left?_ she wondered, and then just as quickly stopped herself. Worrying about those things wasn't going to help. Instead, she pictured her niece's second birthday party, which had been scheduled for tomorrow. This year she had promised herself she would make it. _Although, being dead offers a great excuse,_ she thought wryly.

**THREE DAYS EARLIER**

"I'll be fine," she insisted for what must have been the twenty millionth time. "He's not going to sneak into a hotel room and try to kill me with you guys right across the hall on alert."

"She does have a point," Jane said, wrinkling up his nose in distaste. "He'll probably wait until we least expect it." Now that he was away from the room and the note, and everyone was safely inside a hotel room, it seemed less likely that Red John would even be here. He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't stick around. The rest of the team seemed unsure.

Everyone had gathered in Lisbon's hotel room after changing, resulting in one of the strangest team meetings Jane had seen in a while. It felt more like a slumber party, with everyone in their pajamas on the bed, or (like him) sitting on the chair that had been shoved in the corner. It would have been a perfect time to crack jokes at everyone else's choice of sleepwear (he, of course, was still in his suit), had it not been for the fact that they were discussing how much of a threat there was to Lisbon's life, and just what they could to do lessen it.

"That's settled then." Lisbon announced, leaving no room for arguments.

"Do…um…" Van Pelt hesitated, and Jane took pity on her.

"She wants to know if you want to share rooms with her just in case," he translated, and Van Pelt blushed.

"I just…" she shrugged, trying to pawn it off as no big deal.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Really." Lisbon smiled, and then said suddenly, "Look, don't mention this to Minelli, alright? He'll just take us off the case and get worried, probably for nothing. If something happens we can let him know, but for now…" No one bothered to protest. They all, except for Jane, had figured out that the threat was going to be kept under wraps until it was too late to pull them off the case. Jane hadn't bothered to think about who was going to hear about the threat, because he was too busy thinking about the threat itself.

The three agents left the room, and turned to enter their own rooms. Cho grabbed the other two and pulled them down the hallway, motioning for them to be quiet as he did so.

"What now?" Rigsby demanded, keeping his voice in a hushed whisper.

"I say we set up watch. Not outside her door, because she'll know if we're there, but one of us stays awake at all times tonight, just in case."

"I'll go first," Van Pelt offered. She was praying as hard as she could that the letter had been written only to frighten Jane. As much as she hated to admit it, she was pretty sure that if he really wanted, Red John could kill all of them without causing too much fuss. After all, police had been after him for over five years, and no one had caught him yet.

"I'll take second," Cho decided, "and Rigsby can go last." Second watch was the worst, but Cho didn't seem to mind. He was playing out tactics in his mind, finding the weak points in the building and listing ways that Red John could get in.

Rigsby nodded agreeably. He had to reload his gun and get extra bullets out, just in case. The chances of him sleeping well tonight were slim, but he thought he might be able to get a couple of hours in.

Jane, however, had not even bothered to leave Lisbon's room.

"Go on, Jane. Try to sleep."

"Van Pelt made one mistake, you know? She asked your permission to stay. See, I would never do that. So I'm just going to tell you that I'm staying."

"Jane," Lisbon was annoyed now. She wanted him to go, wanted to be able to take a shower and let herself relax into her panic. By tomorrow, she knew she would be fine. But if she had to keep it all bottled up inside she was pretty sure she would go insane.

"Go ahead, take a nice long relaxing shower. I won't bother you. Now you can relax with the knowledge that no one will sneak up on you."

She sent him a glare that would turn most men into stone, but he merely grinned at her.

_One point to Jane,_ she thought bitterly as she locked the bathroom door.

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**And the previews are back again (for anyone who hasn't read 'Two Red Lines', just ignore that)!**

**PREVIEW: **"Will you stay on the phone with me all night? Just leave the connection open. Please? Just so I know you're safe." - Jane


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.**

**k - thanks for telling me where to find the promo :)**

**I tweaked this chapter a little, so unfortunately the preview from last week doesn't happen until the next chapter - but the last line in this chapter just works so well. Sorry - I'll try to get the next chapter up soon so you don't have to wait!**

**Recap: Jane insisted on staying in Lisbon's room after they found a note from Red John threatening her.  
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The night passed uneventfully. It took Lisbon two hours to finally fall asleep, aware the whole time that Jane was staring at her. She woke up once in the middle of the night, a dream full of bloody smiles and sweet blond curls. Luckily, Jane had chosen that one moment to actually be asleep, and no scream had made its way past her lips.

"Who are they?" she questioned her team when they all met the next morning.

"Taylor Lacey, and the little girl is Jane."

The sound of a coffee mug shattering filled the room.

"I'm sorry," Van Pelt gasped, bending down in an effort to clean up the mess, "I'm sorry."

Lisbon turned to help her; Jane knelt down also, armed with paper towels.

"He didn't just find the perfect look," Cho said, staring at the pictures of the small family, "He got the names too."

"Not exactly," Lisbon argued.

"_T_aylor _L_acey, _T_eresa _L_isbon? And Jane? It's practical screaming 'stalker'. We really should call Minelli."

"Nothing happened last night, did it?" she protested, and they were forced to admit that she was right. "So he was careful, he found the perfect family. I want to know where they're from and why they're here."

Van Pelt turned to the laptop and started typing. In a few moments she replied, "I don't know why, but they're from Washington. There's a sister, Sarah. The police already called her, her flight arrives later this afternoon."

"Maybe she'll know why her sister ended up here."

"He made sure she was here." Jane said simply. "He searched everywhere for the _perfect_ family. When he found it, he had to get them into California so that we'd have to investigate it."

As much as Lisbon wanted to tell him not to jump to conclusions, she had to admit he was probably right. There weren't any coincidences here – there couldn't be.

"Alright. Van Pelt, find out everything you can about them, phone records, birth certificates, I don't care. I want it all. Cho, Rigsby, get in touch with the coroner and forensics and see what they've got for us. Jane, you and I are going to question Sarah as soon as she gets in."

**PRESENT**

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm go-o-ing to die, I'm going to die,_ Lisbon thought. Without another tune in her head, she had started composing her own music, most of it to the tune of 'Happy Birthday'. _Shows how original I am,_ she thought bitterly, trying to ignore the strangeness in her chest whenever she took a breath. She put it down to her panicking, and imagining things. She was not running out of air. It hadn't been long enough. They needed more time to find her.

**TWO DAYS EARLIER**

"Do we even know for sure it's a Red John case?"

"It's him." Jane said quickly.

"How can you be so sure, though?" Lisbon pressed.

"Trust me – I know. The smiley face, it was the first thing we saw. And everything…It was him, Lisbon. I know it."

"Excuse me?" The two looked up to see a young man, dressed in uniform. "Sarah Lacey is here."

"Thanks," she checked his nametag, "…Matt." Lisbon smiled at him slightly and he nodded.

"Let's go."

__

The woman looked about to break into tears at any moment, but so far she had managed to hold herself together. Unlike her sister, she had blond hair. At least now they knew where the little girl got it from.

"Taylor was your sister?" Lisbon asked gently.

"Yeah, she's a year younger."

"Do you know why she was in California, Ms Lacey?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice thick with unshed tears. "She won some sort of contest. She called me up, all excited. She'd gotten a letter in the mail. There were two tickets to the hotel and a letter of congratulations. She was so excited, because she'd been wanted to take Janey out, to see the world some."

"And is she Janey's biological mother?" Lisbon asked, wondering if maybe the relationship was of an Aunt and a niece instead of mother and daughter.

"Yeah. You wouldn't know it by looking, I guess." Sarah shrugged and took the tissue that Jane offered, dabbing at her eyes.

"Where's Janey's father?"

"He died, three years back. Janey was just two years old. A drunk driver hit his car." Lisbon winced, the story sounding all too familiar. This could not be happening. How long must it have taken him to find these people? And how could he have? It wasn't like he could just have an audition for a family of two that bore remarking resemblance to two people who he was planning on killing. Or torturing. Or maiming.

Lisbon forced herself to listen to Sarah and ignore the dark thoughts racing around in her head. Although she didn't know it, Jane's thought had practically mirrored her own.

"Listen, I need to call our parents. So, could I…?" The woman trailed off, and Lisbon glanced at Jane to see if he had any questions.

"Just one more thing. Did Taylor ever sign up to _be_ in a contest?"

"Um, not that I'm aware of. No, I don't think so." Sarah looked even more confused now.

"Can you remember if she mentioned what contest she had won?"

"I don't think she did. She was just so happy that she won, you know? I know the letter promised two days here and two days in Disneyland. They said the tickets would be sent with a driver to take her there. But now…" She lost her battle with her tears and broke down.

"It'll be okay, Sarah." Jane said soothingly, rubbing his hand across her back. "We'll catch him. I promise. No one else is going to die."

Lisbon didn't miss the glance he sent her way when he said it.

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**Doesn't that make up for having to wait?**

**Preview: well, you already know what it is, but...**

"Will you stay on the phone with me all night? Just leave the connection open. Please? Just so I know you're safe." - Jane

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm back! I hate that my updates are so far apart, and now my schedule is a bit more normal, so hopefully I can update faster :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Reviews make my day :) **

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"No! I'm tired and I can't sleep with you sitting in the chair staring at me!"

"Come on, Lisbon."

"Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen. I need you well rested for tomorrow, alright? So go across the hall, change your clothes, lie down, and remember that I am perfectly safe. I've got a gun, I'm not helpless. And Cho has the room right next to me. If anything happens, he'll be there in seconds. He's got the other key to my room."

Jane hesitated. As desperately as he wanted to stay, he didn't want to make her miserable. She needed sleep to solve this case, and especially if Red John tried anything tomorrow.

"Will you stay on the phone with me all night? Just leave the connection open. Please? Just so I know you're safe."

She bit her lip, glaring at him. "I'll be fine. I'll do it, but I'll be fine." She hoped that if he knew she was safe and sound asleep, he would finally get some sleep himself. "But you have to promise me that you'll lie down and try to at least relax."

"I promise," he replied, looking very much like a small child. She was tempted to give him a hug and offer to tuck him in, but refrained.

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Jane settled down with the phone resting by his ear. He could hear Lisbon's steady breaths as she relaxed, could imagine her curled up in bed, the days worries finally seeping away to let herself sleep peacefully once more.

In her room, Lisbon had left the phone resting on the table by the bed, and collapsed on top of the covers, her eyes struggling to stay opened. She would never tell Jane, but it did make her feel safer – the knowledge that he was listening. She was pretty sure this would be the best night's sleep she had gotten in a long time – and she refused to think that it was because it was _Jane_ on the other end of the phone. _Anyone else would work, it just happened that he was the one who offered,_ she ordered her exhausted brain, before finally letting herself sink into oblivion.

**PRESENT**

"You," she informed him, her words slightly slurred, "are a hallucination."

"Sure," he replied genially, grinning at her.

"You have to be, because…because…" she was too tired to think straight, but she knew it was important. "Oh! I know. Because I'm still underground."

"Good deduction skills there, Lisbon. No wonder they chose you as head of the unit. "

She was not so confused that she didn't recognize an insult when she heard one, and she frowned at him. "I have a gun."

"No you don't. Remember? Serial Killer 101 – never let your victim have a weapon."

"Well, I own one. And if you aren't nice to me then I'll use it."

"But I'm a hallucination. You can't shoot me. And anyway, you could just make me be nice to you. I'm in _your_ mind after all."

"Then be nice to me."

"You're going to die soon." He informed her, looking down at her casually. Her brain was too exhausted from struggling to breathe to even try to comprehend how someone was above her when the top of the coffin skimmed her nose. Instead, she picked on his comment.

"You call THAT being nice?" she questioned, her voice loud. She wasn't sure if she was actually speaking or if the whole conversation was in her mind, but she could care less. It was better than singing the alphabet.

"What?" he protested, "You've been singing it to yourself for hours."

"Have not," she replied, sulking.

"You know, Lisbon," he said, his tone serious, "we're looking for you. We've got everyone on it. We'll find you."

"Not soon enough," she murmured. Then, a thought came to her. "If you are in my mind, and you can do whatever I want, then why are you dressed in a suit?"

"That is not nice Lisbon!" he told her sternly, and she grinned. If she was going to die, at least she could see Patrick Jane shirtless first.

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**Preview: **"Lisbon's phone disconnected." - Jane


	8. Chapter 7

**Remember back when I said that updates would be up sooner and more regularly? ......Yeah..... On the plus side, I'm sure everyone is really excited to read this chapter? Right? Don't sic Red John on me!!!! **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still haven't bought the Mentalist, but I'm am looking forward to the start of the second season!  
**

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TWO DAYS EARLIER**

The first thing Jane noticed when he opened his eyes, was that he must have fallen asleep. No nightmares had disturbed his sleep, so he wasn't quite sure why he was awake. He sat up, blinking, and realized that the bright light hurting his eyes wasn't the sun, but the bedside lamp, which meant that it was still night – 12 AM, to be exact. Then he became aware of a strange sound. A kind of dial tone. He frowned, rubbing at his ear, and then his heart dropped. He fumbled for the phone, and picked it up, just as a voice said, "…please hang up, and try again."

"Lisbon," he whispered, launching himself out of bed. He hesitated, unsure what to do. It could have simply been that she had hung up the phone and gone back to sleep, assuming that he was asleep and not worried. Or maybe she had somehow managed to turn the phone off. _Or she's in danger_, he thought.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake her up – he knew she hadn't slept well the night before, and he meant what he said when he told her he wanted her to be well rested.

"…_And Cho has the room right next to me. If anything happens, he'll be there in seconds. He's got the other key to my room."_

Jane was up and out of the door in seconds, pounding on the weak wood as loudly as he dared. The door opened almost instantly, revealing a very wide awake Cho.

"What's wrong?"

"Lisbon's phone disconnected. Can I borrow the key?"

"We've been keeping watch all night," Cho replied, "We haven't heard a thing. Maybe the call was getting too long or you pushed a button or something. Why don't you just knock on her door?" He refused to listen to the faint bubble of fear that rose up when Jane kept talking. He had been awake all night, and Van Pelt before him. They would have known if something had happened. Lisbon wouldn't go without a fight. _Unless she was unconscious._

"I don't want to wake her up, in case there's nothing wrong. Please, Cho!"

Patrick Jane didn't beg often. Sure, he used 'puppy-dog-eyes' and 'pretty-please' but it was all a show. Now he was full out begging with everything he had, desperate to make sure she was safe. Wordlessly, Cho handed him the card key, and followed Jane, after first grabbing the gun that had been resting on the table.

In seconds, Jane had slid the card through and opened the door.

"No," he whispered, as icy fear swallowed him. His eyes were locked on the wall just across from the door. A grinning red smile stared back at him.

**PRESENT**

"Can you kiss me?" she asked drowsily, and her scantily clad hallucination frowned.

"I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't." she replied, "But you're the only one here, and since I'm going to die, I might as well die while kissing you. You know," she added, after a pause, "You aren't half bad looking."

"I'm touched," he told her, looking annoyed. "You need to stay focused on breathing, and staying conscious. Got me? We'll find you. I promise. Red John wants to toy with us, he'll give us clues, we just have to figure them out before you run out of air."

"Kinda late for that."

"You can survive three minutes with absolutely no oxygen." He informed her, and then sighed. "It'll be okay, Lisbon. Just keep fighting."

She frowned, "I'll try really really hard if you kiss me."

"It won't count. You have to do it for real."

"Alright. But can you do it anyway?"

He smiled, "I'm such a sucker." He bent down and pressed his lips lightly against hers.

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**Review!**

**Preview: **"Chloroform." - Cho


	9. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry it took me this long to update. I do have excuses, several of them. I was sick not once, but twice, my computer crashed, and my schedule got so crazy I barely had time to sleep. Still, I'm sorry, and thank you for being so patient! I know this is a bit short, but I'm already working on the next chapter, so hopefully it'll be up within a few days. **

**This chapter is dedicated to cureless, who kindly reminded me that I left you guys with a cliffhanger for a _very_ long time. **

**Recap (since it's been so long): Red John is back, and it looks like his sights are set on Lisbon. In the last chapter, Jane entered Lisbon's room and: **_"No," he whispered, as icy fear swallowed him. His eyes were locked on the wall just across from the door. A grinning red smile stared back at him._

**

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**

"No!" his mind shut down, flashing back a million years to a pink tricycle and a white note on a bedroom door. He froze, eyes locked onto the wall and a wave of nauseous terror crashing into him.

"She's not here." Cho's voice brought him back to the present, and he blinked, forcing himself to scan the room. Sure enough, there was no body, and no sign of a struggle.

"Then where…" Kidnapping was not Red John's style. He didn't take people in the middle of the night. If he wanted Lisbon dead he would kill her right here. Jane wasn't sure what was happening now, but he knew it couldn't be good.

"Hey," Cho said, and Jane turned and saw the man holding a white cloth up with two fingers, "Chloroform."

"He drugged her. He drugged her so she wouldn't cry out, then hung up the phone, and then…" Jane muttered angrily, his hands clenched tightly into fists. This was his fault. He had fallen asleep. If he had only stayed awake for a little longer he could have stopped it. Could have saved her.

"Jane, focus. I need you to get Van Pelt and Rigsby. We need to dust for prints, so call the nearest police station and let them know what's going on." Cho paused, internally debating with himself before saying, "And you're going to have to call Minelli."

**PRESENT**

"Not that I don't love your visiting, but is there any chance I can see my mom?"

"I hope not." Jane said. His arms were wrapped around her and they were lying side by side. She didn't question it and neither did he. "That would mean you were dead. And I'd really rather you stay alive through this one. You only get to die from annoyance."

She smiled, and then sighed. "D'you know, if you were nicer to me, I'd probably be nicer to you. This is nice."

"This is in your imagination. I have to be nice to you. And lying around in just my boxer shorts."

She shrugged, "I want to be happy when I die."

"You aren't going to die."

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**I know, it's so short after such a long wait. Forgive me!**

**Review!  
**


	10. Chapter 9

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long :) **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked the rest of the story.  
**

**

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ONE DAY EARLIER**

"WHAT!" Van Pelt winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. Jane couldn't help but grin at the sound of Minelli's furious voice. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT A CRAZED SERIAL KILLER HAS SET HIS SIGHTS ON MY LEAD AGENT AND NOBODY TOLD ME! I COULD HAVE ARRANGED PROTECTION!"

"Well, yes sir, but, you see," Van Pelt stuttered. If she had problems talking to Lisbon, she was even worse with Minelli. Jane took pity on her and grabbed the phone.

"That was the reason Lisbon requested that we kept it quiet, sir. She believed that if protection detail was issued, Red John would give up all hope of ever getting at her and leave. And all of our previous experiences suggested that he was already out of town by the time we found the bodies, so there really wasn't too much cause for concern."

"SHE WAS KIDNAPPED FROM UNDER YOUR NOSES! I'D SAY THAT WAS CAUSE FOR CONCERN!"

Jane struggled to think of a clever response for that, and, for once, failed. "Yes, but…"

"I want you off the case, now. I want protection detail on the rest of you. I want every CBI unit investigating this while you stay safe at home, do you understand?" Minelli asked, his voice finally lowering to a tolerable level. The anger was still very much palpable, however, and Jane knew he had to tread lightly.

"With all due respect sir, we're already very much invested in this case. We've spoken to several relatives and witnesses, we know the evidence, and the personal connection might even help us in catching Red John. I assure you, we have everything under control. Well, actually, they have everything under control. I'm not really doing anything seeing as how I'm just a lowly consultant who doesn't really have any expertise in the whole protection thing, but,"

"If you find a single hair, I want to be notified."

"Yes sir," Jane replied, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, "I promise."

**PRESENT**

Her chest was tight as she struggled to inhale. The warm body next to her was gone.

"Jane! Jane!" she screamed, tears leaking out of her eyes as her chest inhaled but took in no oxygen. Her arms flailed wildly, reaching out to find him, the team, anyone who could help her. The only result was a constant pain in her hands as she slammed them again and again against the hard wooden box.

"We'll find you, Lisbon. It's okay. We'll find you," a voice soothed, right by her ear, but the man it belonged to was a hundred miles away.

"I can't…I can't…" her chest screamed in agony, her head felt fuzzy and thick. "Jane, I can't…"

_I can't breathe._

**ONE DAY EARLIER**

"I don't understand. This isn't his style." Jane said, frowning. They had all gathered together to wait in case CSU found any evidence in Lisbon's hotel room, although they all knew the chances were slim.

"He's broken pattern before." Cho pointed out, but Jane shook his head.

"Not like this. The first case, Taylor and Jane – that was him. But now…"

"He just wanted to scare you." Cho offered, but despite his constant rebuttals he was beginning to see that Jane had a point.

"Maybe, but kidnapping is not his style. This isn't right. This can't be him."

"But it has to be someone who knows about him – his signature, etc – and they'd have to know us too."

"An accomplice?" Grace asked, thinking back to their last Red John case.

"An accomplice wouldn't break pattern, though." Cho pointed out, "He'd work in it; work for Red John."

"Unless the accomplice doesn't want to play anymore."

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**Review!**

**Preview: **_If she has any chance at survival, this is it._- Cho


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the reviews! I hope I'll be able to update more quickly (although every time I say that it takes me longer...maybe I'm just jinxing myself :))**

**EmmaBerlin - I'll see what I can do about your Christmas wish. Maybe it'll become a belated Christmas wish :)**

**fornwalt - The only explanation for his attitude I have is that originally, they called Minelli before Lisbon was kidnapped. I rewrote his lines, but I forgot to change Jane's....oops **

**cureless - wow, I never imagined anyone reading my story over and over. I'm glad you like it so much. I hope you enjoy the rest of it just as much :)  
**

**Recap: **

_"An accomplice?" Grace asked, thinking back to their last Red John case._

_"An accomplice wouldn't break pattern, though." Cho pointed out, "He'd work in it; work for Red John."_

_"Unless the accomplice doesn't want to play anymore."_

* * *

"What do you mean?"

Jane began to pace, his voice getting louder as his brain connected dots that the team hadn't even known existed. "Maybe Red John did get an accomplice. Maybe someone who helped him find his new victims, maybe someone who helped get them here. Whoever it was, they know what he did – they're his protegee, in a way. But they don't want to play the way he does. Impatient – like a child. Red John, he'll wait years to exact his revenge. He'll strike only after you think you're finally free of him. But his accomplice wants to punish us now – so he snuck into the room and kidnapped Lisbon."

"So you're saying that Red John wants Lisbon dead, but he isn't killing her now?" Rigsby asked.

"Whether or not this is Red John, we still aren't any closer to finding Lisbon." Cho pointed out, ending what might have become a full out debate over the accuracy of Jane's claims.

"Unless," Grace began.

"Unless what?"

"Well, if it is an accomplice, and I'm not saying it is or isn't, but if it is, and he's disobeying Red John, then Red John probably doesn't know about it yet. Like Jane said, he probably got out of town as soon as he had finished with…anyway. If we were to make a public announcement that she'd been kidnapped, maybe he'd…I dunno."

"He'd be angry at his accomplice. Enough to turn him in though?"

"You really think Red John would turn him in to the police? He'd probably just kill him."

"But doesn't Red John want to be the one that…well…kills," Grace lowered her voice to a whisper on the word, "Lisbon?"

"She has a point. If we tell the media that Lisbon's been kidnapped, presumably by Red John, he'll get angry. He'll know it was his accomplice. And he might let Lisbon go."

"But he's a serial killer who thrives on attention, Jane. If he _has_ broken pattern, announcing it to the media is only going to make him happier."

"It's the best idea we've got!" Jane snapped.

"How about investigating the scene a little, first?"

"So we just sit here while he takes her and does whatever he pleases? Trust me – this is the only way Lisbon will come out of this alive."

Cho bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to help his boss, but if Jane was wrong, it would only make things worse. Then again, investigating seemed rather pointless. With Red John, you only found what he wanted you to find.

_And even if we catch the accomplice, he won't tell us anything. _

If Lisbon were here, he would discuss it with her, but unfortunately the whole problem was that Lisbon _wasn't _here. He closed his eyes and thought about it. _If I don't do it, and she dies, it will be my fault. If I do it, and she dies, it will be my fault. But if she has any chance at survival this is it. _

"Alright."

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**Review!**

**Preview:** "You stay away from the phones, the computers, the mailbox. You touch nothing, say nothing, go nowhere." - Cho


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews! I wish I had gotten this up sooner, but the holiday season was just crazy :)**

**SAR132-4: wow, thanks for the compliment. I hope I live up to your praise :) Unfortunately, I couldn't make it in time for Christmas (unless you celebrate the twelve days of Christmas - let's just say you do :)**

**I know, it's short. We'll see about a sooner update :)**

**Enjoy!  
**

**

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PRESENT – MORNING **

"We are doing everything we can to get Agent Lisbon back from Red John, and we hope to have her back with us as soon as possible. If anyone has any information, or has seen Agent Lisbon, please call this number. Thank you." As Cho stepped down from the podium, the push of the crowd grew even more frantic. He ignored them as best as he could and instead walked back inside the building the team was using as headquarters.

"What's next in this brilliant plan of yours? Wait until he gives us a call?" Both Jane and Grace winced at his tone, and he forced himself to take a deep breath before continuing. "Alright, Jane, if he does contact us, you say _nothing_, do you understand? This is Lisbon's life we're talking about. I'm willing to keep you in a locked room if I have to. You stay away from the phones, the computers, the mailbox. You touch nothing, say nothing, go nowhere.

"Van Pelt – we've already got the locals on the phone line, I want you to open up every security system we have and get rid of as much of it as we can. If he's going to break through the system I want it as easy as possible for him to contact us, understand?" She nodded and at once turned to a computer screen. Her fingers started flying and Cho took a moment to admire her skills before focusing on the task at hand.

It was ten agonizing minutes when a shout from Van Pelt made everyone jump to attention around her computer. It wasn't much – just a list of numbers across her screen, repeated over and over again.

"But what does it mean?" Cho asked, staring at the red text.

"It's a phone number," Rigsby said suddenly. "Look, separate the numbers into three, three, four, and it's a phone number."

And now everyone was wondering the same thing. _Should we call it?_

_

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_**Review!**

**Preview: "**Teresa is important to me. I care very much about her well being." - Red John


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews! Happy belated New Year!  
**

**My Beautiful Ending - of course they will! How could they not?**

**LunaLove - I'm glad you like it, and sorry about the claustrophobia :( **

**starbuckfaerie21 - Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you think the characters are in character. that's always my biggest fear :) Hope you like this chapter just as much!**

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It took three minutes for the three agents and Jane to fight over the phone. A minor scuffle and a few bruises later, Van Pelt had triumphantly secured the device. Instead of dialing, however, she instead started pushing buttons on her computer.

"Oh."

As she clicked, Cho watched the phone sync up to the computer. The location of the caller was ready to be traced.

"Now you can have it," she told him, returning the phone to the temporary boss. He nodded and began to dial.

"Hello?"

"Agent Cho. I was hoping it would be Mr. Jane."

"He's busy. I want Agent Lisbon."

"So impatient. I don't like it when people are rude to me."

Cho forced himself to take a deep breath. Jane had pissed this man off and he had killed an innocent woman and child. "I'm sorry."

"Humble. Much better. Arrogance is a terrible thing. Patrick Jane would do well to remember that."

"I doubt he'll ever forget," Cho replied. The voice on the other end was eerily calm. It was almost more terrifying than if he had been angry and threatening.

"I very much hope not. But I sincerely doubt that he'll remember. Perhaps a reminder would be helpful?"

"That isn't necessary."

His heart was constricting in his chest. Lisbon could be anywhere – hurt, bleeding, dying – and he was talking to an insane man.

"Perhaps not right now. My lessons tend to…stick around for a while. I want to clarify my position in this. Teresa is important to me. I care very much about her well being."

"Sure you do," Jane murmured, his hands clenched into fists. Cho shoved him away from the phone with his foot, concentrating intently on the voice in his ear.

"Unfortunately, some of my friends feel differently. We both have something the other wants. You want the lovely Teresa back – and I want to deal with my disobedient friend."

"You want us to let you handle your accomplice in exchange for Lisbon?" Cho clarified, keeping his voice calm despite how fast his heart was beating.

"You don't have to make your decision right now. It will take a bit of time to get what you want. I'll call you when I do. Think about it. Just remember that Teresa's life hangs in the balance. Surely the life of the man who is trying to kill her can't mean as much as that."

The phone clicked off.

"Grace – anything?"

She shook her head, staring at the empty screen with a frown.

The silence in the room was heavy. Four people knew exactly what their heart wanted. Three agents knew what they had pledged to do when signing up for this job. One consultant knew how much he hated to give even a shred of pleasure to the man who had ruined his life. Everyone was conflicted.

"We can't agree." Cho said softly. "We're legally bound to try and save everyone. We can't make bargains with him."

"I don't think Minelli would stop us." Rigsby said.

"I don't want to give that…" Jane bit down, struggling to find a word to describe Red John and failing. "I don't want to give him anything, but what is one criminal's life in exchange for Lisbon's? He'll probably get the death penalty anyway, all we're doing is speeding up the process."

"He's still a human being, Jane." Van Pelt chastised.

"It's Lisbon. Are we just going to let her die?"

"She could be dead already," Cho replied, but his voice didn't hold any conviction to it.

"And if she isn't, we'd be the ones killing her."

The four of them sat in silence, mulling over their options.

"Any normal person would just say yes."

"And if they did they wouldn't be allowed to even set foot in this building." Cho told her firmly.

"She's going to die!" Van Pelt shouted standing up. "We're sitting here talking and she's going to die. I don't want to condemn a man to death but I'm not going to kill her."

"Grace," Cho's voice was uncharacteristically warm but she ignored him, shaking off the hand that he put on her arm.

"No! We were willing to get fired to help Jane in his stupid little game of revenge but we aren't going to sacrifice our jobs to save Lisbon's life? What kind of people are we?"

"The good kind. Grace, look at me."

"Stop it Jane! I'm not playing your mind games. I'm sick and tired of this. I want Lisbon back and if you won't make the call then I will."

"Grace, it's okay. Just take some nice, deep breaths. It's going to be fine. We'll get her back."

Jane led her back to her chair and she collapsed into it, tears filling her eyes. Rigsby rested one hand on her shoulder, soothing. No one dared to meet anyone else's eyes.

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**Review!**

**Preview: **"No one else would have to know." - Rigsby


	14. Chapter 13

**Every time I think I'm going to update quickly, life gets in the way....oh well. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Firebreather23 - yikes! Take a deep breath, I would hate for you to explode before I finish my story :) glad you like it.**

**MyBeautifulEnding - Red John scares me too.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**

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PRESENT - AFTERNOON**

No one had spoken another word since Grace's outburst. Her tears finally subsided until all that could be heard was the occasional sniff. The four of them, Cho, Jane, Rigsby and Van Pelt, were gathered around the phone, fighting violent internal debates among themselves.

"No one else would have to know." Rigsby said, practically whispering. "Just us."

"We could fake the report." Van Pelt added.

"We'd have to tell Lisbon." Cho told them.

"No," Jane shook his head. "If she knew what we had done for her…she'd never live with the guilt."

"She'll know if we lie to her. She always knows."

"I…I don't think she'll really care how we found her," Grace contradicted, "I mean, if I was the one kidnapped, all I'd care about is that I _was_ found."

"She has a point." Rigsby smiled at her slightly. Just then, the phone rang, and everyone jumped.

"Hello?" Cho answered immediately, still unsure of what his decision was. But instead of Red John's voice on the other end, it was Minelli's.

"Any progress on Lisbon?" he asked, sounding furious and terrified across the fuzzy landline.

Cho hesitated. He had two options. Tell Minelli the truth, and risk losing his one chance to find his friend, or lie and hope Minelli never found out.

"We have a possible lead – witness saw a dark van pull out of the parking lot. Got a partial plate number. We'll see where it takes us." He wasn't sure where the words were coming from – but he had already started weaving this web, and he had to stay with it.

"Call the instant you know something, understand?"

"Yes sir."

He hung up the phone slowly.

"I guess that's settled then." Jane announced, a hint of a grin on his face. "You've already lied to Minelli. We might as well keep going."

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**Review!**

**Preview: **"Are we sure?" - Cho


	15. Chapter 14

**Sorry it took so long! Yet again - every time I feel like I'm going to update quickly, life gets in the way :( As they say - C'est la vie.**

**Miss Mockingbird - thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you like it :) Hopefully I didn't take you away from your life for too long :)**

**cybercat08 - I promise, the scenes are coming, very soon. Hopefully you don't mind sticking around for just a bit longer.**

**FallForAnything25 - no! Don't have nightmares, I'll feel horrible :)**

**My Beautiful Ending - I think everyone is worried about Lisbon :) Hopefully I'll update the next chapter more quickly (of course, every time I say that I jinx myself)**

**tigerlily124 - thanks for taking the time to review each chapter! I love knowing what people think after each one :)  
**

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While they waited, they thought about Lisbon. How strong she was. How good she was. How she reacted to Jane with humor and frustration. All four studiously ignored the fact that they were condemning a man to death.

Finally, the phone rang again. Hesitating, Cho glanced at the others, "Are we sure?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Yes."

He bit his cheek, nodded, and answered.

"Hello."

"Well, have we come to a decision yet?"

"You know where Lisbon is?"

"I do indeed. Do you want to know where she is?"

Lisbon's life. Her life. Either way, he would condemn someone to death. If he said no, it would be Lisbon. If he said yes, it would be a nameless murderer.

"Yes."

No going back now. They had dug their grave – it was time to stand in it.

"Did you hear that, Kevin? He said yes."

The faint sound of muffled screaming came across the phone. Cho's grip on the phone tightened.

"He's not some nameless criminal anymore, Agent Cho, is he? He doesn't want to die. Do you Kevin?"

Horrible, terrible, fear-filled screams assaulted Cho's ears. The gag was pulled off and the wordless cries became verbal.

"No! Please! Please! Don't do it! I'll do anything! I'll tell you whatever you want to hear! Please save me! Please! Pl-mmph!"

"Well, Agent Cho? Would you like to change your mind?"

Not a nameless criminal. Not some horrible serial killer. He sounded like a kid. _He kidnapped Lisbon. He left her to die. _But had he? Maybe Lisbon was tied up in a house, waiting for them to find her, unharmed. And maybe she wasn't.

"The clock is ticking, Agent Cho."

The decision had been left to him. It was too late to consult with the others – to tell them this new development. He had to choose on his own.

"I want to know where she is."

Was that laughter he heard on the other end of the line?

"I'll send the GPS coordinates to your cell phones. I suggest you hurry. She doesn't have much time left."

The phone clicked, and a dial tone echoed in his ears.

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**Review!**

**Preview:**"About twenty minutes from here."

"She might not have that long."

- Grace and Cho


	16. Chapter 15

**Is it possible? Did I actually update....quickly? **

**LunaLove - "It'll probably be a while before I update" :)**

**starbuckfaerie21 - that's not all you get! Enjoy this chapter too :)**

**Firebreather23 - your wish is my command. :) I have updated - NOW. May I make a demand of you? Review NOW :)**

**Hope you enjoy, everyone!**

**One short note about the time - the "present" here, is not Lisbon's present yet. The stories reach the same time line approximately five minutes before the page break. That is, at the page break, mentally slip in Lisbon running out of air (chapter 9), and then continue to read :)  
**

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"What if he doesn't send it?" Grace asked, staring at her phone nervously. "What if he just leaves her to die and kills his accomplice and vanishes and we've done all this for nothing when we should have actually investigated the scene and–" the beep of a new text message interrupted her.

"It's just a list of numbers. What the hell does that even mean?" Rigsby asked, throwing his phone down in frustration.

"GPS coordinates." Cho replied. "He said he'd send the GPS coordinates."

"Where is that?"

After a few silent minutes of typing, Grace replied, "About twenty minutes from here."

"She might not have that long."

* * *

They found themselves, and thirty other detectives and police officers, standing in a clearing. No one moved. There wasn't a single building – not one rock to hide someone behind.

"Are you sure this is right?"

Grace glanced down at the machine in her hand and nodded, "We're here. She's here – at least, if he told the truth."

"No reason not to." Jane replied, barely focusing on her. Instead, his eyes darted around the clearing, looking for a sign – a hint, the faintest clue that Lisbon was here, somewhere, safe.

"Agent Cho?" A young girl's voice called out from the sea of people. A rookie, standing with her friends. "Could she be…underground?"

For three seconds, no one moved. Then, instantly, everyone dropped to the dirt beneath them and began to dig it up with their bare hands.

"Wait!" Jane shouted, staring at the ground in the clearing. "He'd need to dig someplace that isn't obvious - somewhere we wouldn't notice the ground being dug up." He paused, forcing his brain to work faster, for Lisbon's sake. He eyed the clearing – the clearing with the perfect grass, pristine greenery. And then at the muddy ground under the trees behind him. "Here!"

The men spread out, searching the ground for somewhere that looked remotely disturbed and stopping every few minutes to dig at an area of dirt that looked promising.

"Hey! I think I found something!"

Jane, Cho, Rigsby and Grace ran over, dropping to the ground and clearing more of an area around the long wooden box.

"Lisbon? Lisbon!" Jane shouted, frantically shoving aside dirt. There was no sound – not even the faintest whimper.

"Open the lid!" he insisted, but was forced to stand back as the stronger men hooked their fingers underneath the lid and hefted the box open, clearing away the rest of the dirt. A collective gasp could be heard throughout the woods.

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**Review!**

**Preview: **"No!" - Jane**  
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	17. Chapter 16

**...I swear, there really is a good reason this took so long. It's been...oooo....almost a month. Sorry! But thank you knacky for reminding me that I left you guys with a cliffhanger - and totally forgot about it. :( So sorry. And now this chapter is extremely short. But I do promise that before the week is up, you will have another chapter, to make up for being so very very late. **

**Recap: **"Open the lid!" [Jane] insisted, but was forced to stand back as the stronger men hooked their fingers underneath the lid and hefted the box open, clearing away the rest of the dirt. A collective gasp could be heard throughout the woods.

* * *

She was dirty, bloody, and broken. But above all else – her eyes were closed, and her chest was still.

"No." He was going to be sick. Not again. He was so sure he had saved her – succeeded where he had once failed. Now it was four years ago all over again. "No!"

Cho wasted no time as he crouched over her and checked her pulse. "She's not breathing, no pulse," he reported.

Jane watched as Cho began CPR, forcing air into Lisbon's lungs that she refused to take in by herself. _Come on, _he thought desperately, wishing for once that he believed in a God so that he would have someone to beg help from. _Please, Lisbon. You can do this. You can do this. Just breathe. Come on, Lisbon. Breathe!_

Her body was still.

"You don't get to die today," Cho told her, still forcing her heart to beat. "You aren't done yet. Not after everything we did." He breathed for her once more, and suddenly, finally, her body gave a little jerk and she took a breath.

"Oh thank God."

She remained unconscious for the drive to the hospital. They assessed her injures – oxygen deprivation, several bruises, and a large cut on her arm in the shape of a smiley face. Jane scowled when he was told – a permanent reminder etched onto her skin. The last thing she needed after being buried alive. The doctor finished up his summary with a warning.

"With these sorts of things…it's impossible to know how long she was without oxygen. The brain can only take so much. You have to remember that it is…possible…that there will be some lasting damage. The brain is a delicate thing. She may be fine, but there is a possibility of trauma."

"We understand. Can we see her?" Cho's face was impossible to read. Grace was trying hard to stop the tears that had started flowing since she had seen Lisbon's limp body in the forest, and Rigsby had his arm around her, comforting her as a way of coping with his own pain.

Jane was studiously ignoring the doctor. Lisbon would be fine. She had to be fine. After everything, she deserved to go back to normal. Because if she didn't…

"Of course. She's not awake yet, but there's no reason she shouldn't wake up soon."

"Thank you." Cho replied stiffly, leading the group down the hall.

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**Review (and don't kill me for taking forever :) )**

**Preview: **"You look like crap." - Cho


	18. Chapter 17

**Happy Saturday - still this week :) See, I can update quickly....sort of....**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed - I'm glad you liked it :) Over 200 review - that is CRAZY!!!! I remember when I though 12 was a lot :) Congrats SAR132-4 on being reviewer number 200, but honestly, all of you are amazing. **

**LunaLove - you can breathe now!**

**Ebony10 - see, I can keep a promise! **

**traceycole - I was so frustrated at the end of Castle! Luckily it's almost Monday, so we'll find out what happens. Thanks for the review - hopefully you weren't waiting too long. **

**And to everyone who expressed love for Cho - I agree wholeheartedly :)**

**Recap: **

"Of course. She's not awake yet, but there's no reason she shouldn't wake up soon."

"Thank you." Cho replied stiffly, leading the group down the hall.

* * *

An annoying beeping sound was interrupting her dreams. She knew it didn't belong because things didn't beep at the beach. Frowning, she wondered faintly what it could be. Her sleep filled mind couldn't comprehend it, so she blinked open her eyes, forcing them to seek out and stop the annoying sound.

"Boss?"

"Lisbon?"

Four very anxious faces surrounded her. She blinked again, forcing her eyes to focus and shove away the last remnants of sleep.

"Lisbon? Can you understand us?"

"Of course I can understand you, Jane. Why are you talking like an idiot?"

He grinned brightly, "I knew it! No brain damage!"

"Why would I have brain damage?" She shifted into a sitting position, hesitating when her head spun wildly. Instantly, Grace grabbed the pillows and adjusted them. "Thanks. Why would I have brain damage?"

"Don't you remember?"

She hesitated, casting her mind around for a few moments. The case, Red John, Taylor Lacey and little Jane - ah! The hours spent locked inside a box, horrified and going crazy with no way out and no one to hear her screaming.

"I was…underground?" she guessed.

"You ran out of oxygen."

She shuddered, remembering the horrible tightness in her chest. "I remember _that._"

"How are you feeling?" Rigsby interrupted Jane, looking down at his petite boss with concern wrinkling his forehead.

"Like I got kidnapped and locked in a box for a few hours."

"Try a whole night," Jane contradicted, seating himself on the end of the bed.

"No. I was chained to a pole for a while. He cut my arm," she glanced at the white bandage, "And then he knocked me out again. I woke up in the coffin."

"Coffin?"

"It _felt_ like a coffin," she told him, frowning.

"Come on, guys. You need sleep." Cho told her, "You look like crap."

"Thanks," she rolled her eyes, but was inwardly grateful. She didn't need to be treated like a china doll, and Cho's emotionless comments brought back a sense of normalcy she missed.

"Besides – we have to call Minelli."

"Ooh," Lisbon winced, "I don't envy you that."

"Tell me about it."

With hugs and wishes of health, the three agents left the room.

"Jane, you can go too." She told him, already wishing she could close her eyes and go to sleep.

"Oh no. I left you once before and you disappeared on me. I'm not going anywhere. Plenty of room on this bed for two." And with that, he pushed her over and stretched out next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I knew you weren't going to die." He told her, poking her nose gently.

"Sure you did – psychic powers, right?" she rolled her eyes before closing them. But a very different Patrick Jane came back from her memory – wearing boxer shorts and promising her the sun, the moon, the stars, and that she wouldn't die before he found her.

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**Review! **

**Preview:**"Do you believe in heaven?" - Lisbon

(I think this is the first time Lisbon has gotten a quote in the preview! Red John got one before her....well, she did spend most of the story locked underground :) )


	19. Chapter 18

**Hello! I've just had an epiphany. For the past week, I've been obsessively checking up on two fics that haven't been updated in AGES. And as I was privately freaking out at the authors, I realized - wait a sec...isn't that exactly what I've been doing..... - so now I feel guilty (not that I'm egotistical enough to think that people have been checking for updates from me every five minutes like I've been doing. Of course, I have nothing better to do :))**

**So, with deepest apology, I present chapter 18. **

**Ebony10 - ok, it wasn't exactly a week...but it is less than a month! By the way - any chance you'll update "Closer" soon? pretty please?**

**Tessa27 - I'm glad you're back :) **

**By the way, I'm not sure if EmmaBerlin is still reading this, but this chapter is dedicated to her, and her christmas wish which, unfortunately, did not make it into the story exactly the way she wanted (I promise, if you read this, it will make up for it (mostly)).  
**

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Lisbon sighed as she entered her office. It felt like years since she had been in here last – but in reality it had only been a week. A very long week.

"Hey," a soft voice behind her made her spin around quickly. Jane was standing in the doorway, looking at her with concern filled eyes. "I thought you weren't due back for a month. What are you doing here?" His voice was so quiet she frowned at him. She'd been through hell and survived it – a few loud words weren't going to hurt her.

"Had to give my side of what happened," she grinned softly. "Don't worry. I haven't broken the rules. Yet."

He smiled. "Allow me to walk you to the car. Just to be sure you're on your way home."

She glanced back at her empty desk and sighed, trying to find the same joking camaraderie she had felt only a few days ago.

"_Bet you I can balance those cups on my arm for three minutes without dropping them."_

"_You're on!"_

"Sure," she told him, fingering the shattered piece of china she had tucked in her pocket. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with it, but it was a safe reminder of what had happened. Safer than the scar on her arm.

As if he had read her mind, Jane let his eyes drop to her arm as he led her to the elevator. He frowned as if he could see through her sleeve and the bandages to the angry red wound beneath.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"Not really. The doctor thinks it'll scar permanently." She scowled. They walked in silence to her car. She moved to get in and he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey…Call me when you get there?" He looked like a child with his huge puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes, "Alright."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He turned to walk away and she opened her car, lips still pulled up in a grin she couldn't help.

She turned around, watching him walk away. "Jane!"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated. It was a stupid question. She almost didn't want to ask him – but she needed to ask someone, and no one else was at the office – they were off at a scene somewhere.

"Do you…do you believe in heaven?" She must have looked pathetic and scared, because he hurried back to her and laid his hands on her shoulders, staring intently into her eyes.

"White tunnel of light when you die sort of thing? Complete baloney. Whatever you saw Lisbon, was part of a hallucination due to lack of oxygen. It wasn't real." He was holding her tightly, as if trying to keep her grounded in the real world. He didn't seem to understand that she was more afraid of it being a hallucination than otherwise.

"Right. Thanks." She smiled and ducked away from him, back into her car. She used to think like him – that the stories of a white tunnel of light and seeing loved ones were merely wishful thinking. But she couldn't shake the feeling she'd had right before Cho had yanked her back to the land of the living. The warmth and safety filled her, wrapping her in a bubble of comfort, and the smell of apples, her mother's favorite perfume, saturated the air.

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**Merry (very belated) Christmas EmmaBerlin :)**

**The End. An epilogue will be up sometime....later. No promises :)**

**Review!**

**And I guess this is the very last preview: **"What happened with the Taylor Lacey case?" - Lisbon

(again, because she's been mysteriously lacking in the previews)


	20. Epilogue

**What was that - update soon? Hmm?I definitely said nothing of the sort... :) I love when I have deniability. **

**So sorry about the long wait - although I do have a few excused (including work, a relative in the hospital, and more work). But thanks for the reviews and for sticking with me through the agonizingly slow updates. I'm usually much better - I promise.**

**Ebony10 - I haven't reviewed yet, but Closer is still absolutely writing! (even though I haven't been...)  
**

**dwennie - it's a bit fluffy...ish...kinda...not really...sorry :) Other people make fluffy comments about Jane and Lisbon though :)  
**

**simonisthecuttestmentalist - 1) do you know any other mentalists? Just out of curiosity. and 2) Well, I did make you wait, but I'm glad you're enjoying it. **

**namedone - not quite done. You still have one more chapter!**

**A brief recap of chapter 14, because it is important to the plot. aka - READ THIS PART IF NOTHING ELSE! Cho is talking with Red John.  
**

_"You know where Lisbon is?"_

_"I do indeed. Do you want to know where she is?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Did you hear that, Kevin? He said yes."_

_The faint sound of muffled screaming came across the phone. Cho's grip on the phone tightened._

_"He's not some nameless criminal anymore, Agent Cho, is he? He doesn't want to die. Do you Kevin?"_

_Horrible, terrible, fear-filled screams assaulted Cho's ears. The gag was pulled off and the wordless cries became verbal._

_"No! Please! Please! Don't do it! I'll do anything! I'll tell you whatever you want to hear! Please save me! Please! Pl-mmph!"_

_"Well, Agent Cho? Would you like to change your mind?"_

_Not a nameless criminal. Not some horrible serial killer. He sounded like a kid._

_"The clock is ticking, Agent Cho."_

_"I want to know where she is."_

**Enjoy! Disclaimer: I wish, I wish, I wish. **_  
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"Welcome back, boss" Van Pelt smiled as she held out the cake to Lisbon, who blew out the candles and grinned.

"Thanks. It's good to be back. I was going crazy, trapped in my apartment."

"Of course you were – a control freak with nothing to control? I'd've paid money to see it." Jane stuck out his tongue and handed her a knife, "Now cut your cake woman, I'm hungry."

"You don't get any. See how you like that," Lisbon stuck her own tongue out and began cutting up the cake for the rest of them team.

It had been three week since she'd given her statement. The bruises had faded, her wounds had healed, and she could almost fall asleep in the dark again. In the past week she had gone on a shopping spree, scouring the stores for shirts with sleeves that covered her upper arm thoroughly. The pink lines on her skin didn't hurt, at least, not physically, but every time she saw them she couldn't help wincing, and Jane wasn't too far behind. She didn't need to see the constant reminder – she had nightmares for that.

The team – including Jane – happily began eating their cake. Lisbon smiled at what she could only describe as the warm fuzzy feeling she got from being here, surrounded by the people she cared about. They joked and chatted about mundane things, avoiding any mention of work or Red John until Lisbon finally asked,

"What happened with the Taylor Lacey case?"

Everyone froze and all heads turned to Cho. His face remained passive as he replied, "After we found you, we started investigating. We didn't find much. It was definitely Red John. He gave them fake certificates, bought airline tickets with their credit cards, and booked them a hotel. No prints, hairs, or fibers left at the scene. Nothing to go on."

"Another file to the 'unsolved' box," Rigsby muttered under his breath, sighing loudly.

"On the plus side, you're here now, so we'll be able to investigate," Van Pelt added, glaring pointedly at Rigsby until he sat up straighter and nodded his assent.

"Jane was too distracted to be much help," Rigsby accused, trying to avoid being on the receiving end of Grace's anger.

"Lisbon was in the hospital! She'd just been kidnapped – of course I was a bit distracted!" Jane protested, waving his hands so wildly his cake looked to be on the verge of toppling onto the floor. "You weren't much help either, Mr. This-would-be-so-much-easier-if-Lisbon-were-here, oh-I-don't-know-what-to-do-without-Lisbon-telling-me-how-to-breathe."

The woman in question merely smiled as Cho defended Rigsby by attacking Van Pelt, and Van Pelt defended herself by attacking Jane. Just when Lisbon thought it would be a good idea to assert her authority as boss and end the argument before fists started to fly and Jane most likely got yet another bloody nose, the loud ringing of a phone silenced the room. Lisbon, the closest to the phone, picked it up.

"Hello?"

"CBI?"

"Yes, who's this?"

"My name is Jeff Myers, I'm a police officer a few counties over. We found a body. Looks like Red John. Thought you might want a look."

Lisbon swallowed; nothing like a Red John case to welcome her back to her job. "Do you know who the victim is?"

"He's been tortured beyond recognition – I mean, we've got at least twenty men throwing up after seeing him. Someone found a driver's license – says his name is Kevin Wood."

"We'll be right over."

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**Poor Kevin - he was such a sweet evil twisted henchman ;)**

**Review!  
**


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